Carton blank feeding mechanism



June 28, 1960 J. R. BAUMGARTNER 2,942,765

CARTON BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 24, 1956 J TEQJ1me 1960 J, R. BAUMGARTNER 2,942,765

CARTON BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM Filed May 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a arw.

CARTON BLANK FEEDING NIECHANISM John R. Baumgartner, Milwaukee, Wis.,assignor to Mercury Engineering Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., acorporation of Wisconsin Filed May 24, 1956, Ser. No. 586,984

6 Claims. (Cl. 225--94) The invention relates to carton or box blankforming apparatus and more particularly to feed mechanism for separatingmultiple blanks from each other and delivering them to a deliveryconveyor.

One object of the invention is to provide an additional set or sets offeed rollers between the last set of feed rolls and the deliveryconveyor shown in my prior U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,655,842, datedOctober 20, 1953, for blank forming apparatus, this additional set orsets of feed rolls being used to cause a lateral separation of multiplecut blanks before such blanks are deposited on the delivery conveyor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a set or sets of feedrolls having a single lower drive roll and a series of smallerindividual blank engaging rollers that may be adjusted at varying anglesrelative to said lower drive roll so as to exert a lateral thrust on apair of blanks to separate them laterally into individual blanks beforetheir delivery to the delivery conveyor. Each of the individual rollersare preferably rubber tired or faced rollers that are mounted on theirsupport for angular adjustment and also adjustable spacing relative toeach other, and this mounting is so constructed and arranged ashereinafter described to permit the individual adjustment of each rollerto compensate for the wear of individual rollers.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a blank forming apparatus embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the feed roll section having featuresforming a part of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the feed mechanism embodying theinvention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of structure shown in Fig. 3, parts being brokenaway;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a pair of blanks before and after theirseparation of a set of feed rolls embodying the invention.

Referring to Fig. l, the web W is fed from a supply roll (not shown) toa set of continuously rotating feed rolls 7, 8, and 9 and then to a pairof continuously driven intermittently active feed rolls 10 and 11 whichrotate at a faster speed than that of the rolls 7, 8, and 9 and carrythe web into the blanking press which includes a fixed platen 12 and amovable platen 13, one of said platens carrying the blanking and formingdies and the other the counterplate therefor. For illustrative purposesonly the roll 10 is shown mounted on a swinging support 14 having acrank arm 15 whose movement is controlled, for example, by mechanismshown in my prior U.S. Patent No. 2,638,821. Support 14 carries themovable member 16 of a brake 17 whereby on the swinging of said supportto a position where the rolls 10 and 11 are operative to feed the web tothe press, the brake is re- Patented June 28, .1960- leased as shown inFig. 1, and on the swinging of said support to a position separating therolls 10 and 11, the brake will be applied as the blanking press isoperated to cut the web.

After the blanks are cut by the press, the cut blanks, here multipleblanks, are fed out of the press into a stripper mechanism S which actsto separate the cut blanks B.

from the web as indicated in Fig. l and the left hand view of Fig. 5 anddeliver them to a set of feed rolls 18 and 19 and then over a shorttable 20 to a set of feed rolls 21 and 22. A further detailed showingand description of the parts above described will be found in my U.S.patents above identified, though other forms or types of strippingmechanism may be used without departing from the present invention. Asshown, as the waste W is carried with the blanks past the feed rolls 18and 19 and is allowed to drop down while the blanks are fed to the rolls21 and 22.

After leaving the rolls 21 and 22, the multiple blanks B stripped oftheir waste are still held together by a out line C and are carried overa table 23 into the bight of another set of feed rolls.

This last named set of feed rolls comprises a lower long power drivenroll 24 extending transversely of the machine and a series of narrowrollers 25 which cooperate with said roll 24 to tear the blanks B apartalong the cut line C and feed them to the upper run of an endlessdelivery conveyor D which is suitably driven by a belt (not shown)operatively connected with power take off of the machine as shown, forexample, in connection with a similar conveyor in my Patent No.2,655,842 above referred to.

While a single set of the feed rolls above described may be used in someinstances, it is desirable in other instances to provide an additionalset of feed rolls and an oscillatory diverter 26 between said sets ofrolls so that some blanks may be delivered directly to the, deliveryconveyor from the first set of rolls, and other blanks may be deliveredfrom the first set of blank separator rolls to the second set of rollsand then to the conveyor.

The second set of feed rolls comprises a long lower power driven roll 27extending transversely of the machine and a series of narrow rollers 28which cooperate with the roll 27 to feed the separated blanks B from thefirst set of rolls and, if desired, to further separate the blankspassing between the roll 27 and rollers 28 from each other before theirdelivery to the delivery conveyor.

Referring to Fig. 2, the shafts 29 and 30 for the rolls 24 and 27 areeach suitably journalled in the frame F of the machine. The shaft 29carries a pulley 31 and the shaft 30 carries a pulley 32, .these pulleysbeing connected together by a belt 33 driven by a pulley 34 on the shaft35 of an electric motor M. The frame carries guides 36 and 37 to guidefinished blanks from the second set of rolls onto the delivery conveyor.An auxiliary frame 38 is mounted to swing on a shaft 39 extendingtransversely of the main frame F. Frame 38 includes side frame members40 and spaced sets 41 of transverse frame bars 42. The bars 42 of eachset of bars are spaced apart to form a transversely extending channel43.

Each of the'rollers 25 or 28 has a rubber or yieldable tread portion 44and a metal hub 45 suitably journalled on an axle pin 46 carried by thespaced arms of a fork 47. The shaft 48 has a fixed threaded connectionat its lower end 49 with the fork 47 and an adjustable threadedconnection at its'upper end with the hub or a hand knob 50 and has a key51 mounted in it. A sleeve 52 surrounds a portion of the shaft and isprovided with a key way 53 slidably engageable with the key 51.

A washer 54 is mounted on the lower end of the sleeve 52 and heldthereto by a retainer ring 58. A washer less, angle, if desired.

Va,942,7a

55 is mounted on the sleeve and engaged by a nut 56 in threadedengagement with the upper threaded end of the sleeve. The washer 54abutsthe lower sides of the set of spaced bars 42 and the washer 55 thetop side of these 1 bars, and washers are clamped against these surfm'by the turning down of the nut '56, and sincethe V sleeve 523's free toslide-"in the channel =43, it and consequently the roller or 28 may beclamped in any desiredposition along the length of the channel.- At thep same time the sleeve may be angularly adjusted or skewed with the aidof the wrench engaging portion 57, while it iis'being clamped down, toset the-roller 25m 281, at anangle-t'o a straight @line movement of ablank as indicated in .-Fig. 4. :A stiff spring 59, surrounding thelowere nd-ofthe shaft 48, is interposed between the lower end of thesleeve '52 and the fork 47. The loading 'of this 'springtis such "that,it'causes the roller assem I bly.to move with the fra'me 38 as a unit,yet on the turning of thehand knob 50 it permits downward movement ofthefshaft 48 relative to'the sleeve 52 and the frame 38 to Tcompensatefor the tread wear of the roller hold'the rollers 25 and 28 innippingengagement with their associatedroller 24 or 27. Therollers 25 and 28may be raised out of such engagement by raising the frame 38 by means ofan oscillatory eccentric 60 on :a transversely extending shaft 61. i

tTransverse adjustmentof the rollers on the frame permits each roller tobeset to engage a single blank, and the angular or skewing adjustment ofthe rollers acts to separate the blanks-B from each other along thecrease line C as said blanks travelbetween said rollers and .the lowerroller, this skewing in the case of a pair of blanks being in, oppositedirections as shown in Fig.

4 so that one of the blanks is pulled toward one side of the machine andthe other pulled toward the other side. The rollers .28 mayvbesirnilarly skewed but at a The sepaanted :finished blanks aredelivered by the sets ofrolls 25, 24 and 27, 28 to the delivery conveyor-D.

For holding the delivered blanks down on the conveyor weights in theform of metal rollers ;62 mounted on frames 63 Lpivoted on uprights 64whichare lengthwise adjustable through pinions 65 and a rack 66 similarto theroller uni-t shown in detail in Patent No, 2,655,842

may be used. 7

.I desire it to be understood that this invention is'not to be limitedto any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as suchlimitations areincluded infthe claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a carton blank forming apparatus for handling multiple blanks cutfrom a section of a web of stock, the combination with feed means foradvancing blanks in multiple and a delivery mechanism for the finishedblanks, of a lower power driven roller, and a series of upperrelatively'narrow rollers cooperating with said Single roller and drivenby the periphery thereof to adv-anc'e the "blanks'lfrom said feed meansto said delivery mechanism; a main support, a support for each upperroller, means tfor clarnping-said roller supports to said njainsu poin-adjustably spaced relation to provide an upper roller in contact witheach blank of said multiple blanks and means for angularly adjustingsaid roller supports and hence said'upper rollers relative to'said mainsupport to cause a lateral separation of the blanks as' they move oversaid single roller, and means for individually adjusting each of saidupper roller supports vertically relative to said main support.

a 2. ;a carton blank forming apparatus for handling 75 multiple blankscut from a section of a web of stock having a delivery mechanism for-thefinished blanks,'feed mechanism for feeding finished blanks to saiddelivery mechanism comprising, in combination, a transversely extendinglower power driven roller, a series of upper relatively narrow rollershaving a yieldable tread surface, one roller for each blank, cooperatingwith said lower roller, a support for each roller including a shaft, anda sleeve surrounding said'shaft, a transverse support having atransversely extending slot to receive the sleeve of said rollers, meansvfor clamping each sleeve to said transverse support in the desiredspaced relation relative to other sleeves, said clamping means engagingopposite sides of said support and pennittirig angular adjustment ofsaid sleeves relative to said slot, and means for adjusting each shaftlongitudinally of its sleeve to compensate for the wear of its treadsurface.

3. In a carton blank forming apparatus for handling multiple blanks cutfrom a section of a web of stock having a delivery mechanism for thefinished blanks, feed mechanism for feeding finished blanks to saiddelivery mechanism comprising, in :co'mbinatiom a transversely extendinglower power driven roller, upper relatively narrow spacedrollers havinga yieldable tread surface, one roller for each blank, cooperating withsaid lower roller, 21 support for each roller including a shaft and asleeve surrounding said shaft'and slidably keyed thereto,a.springnormally acting to move said shaft lengthwise of said sleeve, a manuallyoperable member connected to said shaft and engageable with said sleeveto determine the extent of, relative lengthwise movement of said shaftby said spring,-'a -main supportfor said rollers, and means at oppositeend portions of each sleeve acting to clamp thecsame to said supportboth angularly and laterally thereof. p p

4. In a' carton blank forming apparatus for handling multiple blanks cutfrom 'a section of a web of stock and having a delivery mechanism forfinished blanks, a main frame having vfirst andsecond spaced apart lowerfeed rolls, means to drive said lower rolls, -a blank diverter shiftablymounted on said mainframe between said lower rolls for diverting blanksfrom said first lower roll alternately to said mechanism and said secondlower 'roll, an auxiliary frame shiftably mounted on said main frame andabove said lowerfee'cl rolls, 'and two series of upper narrow rollersmounted on said auxiliary frame, each series cooperating with acorresponding lower roll and driven thereby, said auxiliary frame beingso mounted that its weight holds said upper rollers in-cont'act withtheir respective lower roll. 7

5. In a carton blank forming apparatus for handling multiple blanks cutfrom a section of a web of stock and having a delivery mechanism forfinished blanks, a main frame having first and second spaced apart lowerfeed rolls, means to drive said lower-rolls, a blank diverter shiftablymounted on said main frame between said lower rolls for diverting blanksfrom said first lower roll alternately to saidmechanis'm and said secondlower roll, an auxiliary frame shiftably mounted on said main frame andabove said lower feed rolls, two series of upper narrow rollers mountedon said auxiliary frame, each series cooperating with a correspondinglower roll and driven thereby, said auxiliary frame being somounted'that its weight holds said upper rollers'in contact with theirrespective lower roll, and "means for angularlyadjusting said upperrollers in respect to the direction of blank travel whereby one seriesof .upper rollers can be adjusted to a different angle than the otherseries of rollers.

6. In a carton-blank forming apparatus for handling multiple blanks-cutfirom a section of aweb of stock and having'a delivery mechanism forfinished blanks, a main frame-having first andfs e'cond spaced apartlower feed rolls-means to "drive said "lower rolls, "a "blank "divertershiftably mounted on'said "main frame between said lower rolls fordivertingblanks from said first lower roll alterhately to said mechanismand said second lower roll, an auxiliary frame shiftably mounted on saidmain frame and above said lower feed rolls, two series of upper narrowrollers mounted on said auxiliary frame, each series cooperating with acorresponding lower roll, means for resiliently urging said upperrollers against their respective lower roll, means for individuallyadjusting each of the upper rollers with respect to its lower roll, saidauxiliary frame being so mounted that its weight holds said upperrollers in contact with their respective lower roll, 10

and means for angularly adjusting said upper rollers in respect to thedirection of blank travel whereby one series of upper rollers can beadjusted to a different angle than the other series of rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,461,376 Feldmeier Feb. 8, 1949 2,655,842 Baumgartner Oct. 20, 19532,682,208 Monroe et a1. June 29, 1954

